Did you know that just like us, our lawns can become infected with disease? In Omaha and the Council Bluffs area, two of the most common lawn diseases are brown patch and dollar spot. Over time, these diseases can leave your lawn weakened and not looking its best. If you suspect that your lawn has been affected by brown patch or dollar spot, or you want to prevent your lawn from catching these diseases, call Sunset Lawns. Our fungicide treatment program can stop brown patch and dollar spot in their tracks and keep your lawn healthy so you can enjoy your yard for years to come. 
What is Brown Patch?
Brown patch, or Rhizoctonia solani, is a fungal disease that is most commonly identified by the circular and irregular-shaped brown patches that appear in your lawn during the middle of summer. The patches can range in size from just a few inches across to several feet. Other symptoms of brown patch disease include rapid grass yellowing, rings of dead, dark-colored, or sparse grass, blades of grass that appear dark, shriveled, or water-logged, and a white cobweb-like substance that appears on grass blades before the dew dries in the morning. The most common grass types affected by brown patch are tall fescue, perennial ryegrass, and bentgrass. Lawns with wet conditions are particularly susceptible to brown patch, which thrives in a moist, humid environment. If your lawn has poor drainage, inadequate airflow, or overgrowth on trees or bushes that create dense shady areas, it will be easily infected by brown patch disease.
What is Dollar Spot?
Like brown patch, dollar spot disease also affects fescue grasses and bent grass. This fungal disease, caused by the fungus Clarireedia jacksonii, is characterized by the appearance of small patches of pale or bleached grass, typically just a few inches across, during the summer months. These spots will be lower than the surrounding grass, causing the surface of your lawn to become uneven. Other signs of dollar spot disease are tan-colored spots with reddish-brown borders on grass blades and a cobweb-like substance on dewy grass in the early morning. Many of the same conditions that can cause brown patch can also cause dollar spot, such as poor water drainage and airflow. Additionally, high daytime temperatures and humidity in conjunction with cooler night temperatures can make your lawn susceptible to this disease.
Why Fungal Diseases Occur And How You Can Treat Them
Even if you have a solid lawn care program, fungal diseases can appear in your yard. There are always fungi living in and around your lawn, but like our own immune system that keeps bacteria in check, our lawns are pretty good at maintaining their own health. However, environmental conditions and potential stressors like drought, humidity, too little or too many nutrients or water, and even an increase in foot traffic can lead to a fungal disease in your lawn. Because you can’t always control what comes into your lawn, you can’t always prevent diseases from 
cropping up. Some fungal diseases can lay dormant in soil for years. This is why it’s important to get a fungicide treatment even if you don’t see signs of disease yet. Fungicide treatments work by preventing fungi like brown patch and dollar spot from taking over your lawn, as well as treating these diseases if they have already affected your yard.
In addition to fungicide treatments, there are several important steps to help make sure fungal diseases stay out of your yard. You should keep a close eye on your grass in order to treat it at the first sign of brown patch or dollar spot. Looking at weather reports for changes that might stress your lawn, such as lots of rain, unusually high humidity, or temperature changes can also help. Another critical step is making sure your lawn doesn’t stay wet for an extended period of time. Try to water your lawn in the morning, so that the sun dries it out quickly, and avoid watering in the evening and at night if possible to keep water from sitting in your yard for too long. Aerating and overseeding your lawn every year will help to maintain your lawn’s health by allowing air and water to move more easily in the soil, preventing moisture buildup that creates the perfect conditions for fungal growth and filling in places previously affected by fungal diseases. In conjunction with fungicide treatments, you should also consider a fertilization program to make sure your lawn has the right balance of nutrients and plenty of food.
Call The Pros At Sunset Lawns
If you notice signs of brown patch or dollar spot disease in your lawn, or you want to make sure that your lawn won’t be affected by these diseases, talk to the professionals at Sunset Lawns. We offer a four-treatment fungicide program, as well as many other lawn care and weed control services, to residents of the Omaha and Council Bluffs area. You can visit our website, reach out to us on our contact form for more information, or give us a call at 402-537-8030. And be sure to check out our monthly blog for more informative articles!
Did you know that just like us, our lawns can become infected with disease? In Omaha and the Council Bluffs area, two of the most common lawn diseases are brown patch and dollar spot. Over time, these diseases can leave your lawn weakened and not looking its best. If you suspect that your lawn has been affected by brown patch or dollar spot, or you want to prevent your lawn from catching these diseases, call Sunset Lawns. Our fungicide treatment program can stop brown patch and dollar spot in their tracks and keep your lawn healthy so you can enjoy your yard for years to come.